On-farm community seed production scheme of WECAMAN
1999
Badu-Apraku, B. (IITA Station, (Cote d'Ivore)) | Hema, I. (INERA, Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso)) | The, C. (IRAD, Yaounde (Cameroon)) | Coulibaly, N. (IER, Bamako (Mali)) | Mellon, G. (INRAB/SRCV-INA, Cotonou (Benin Republique)) | Komi, E. (INTRA, Lome (Togo))
Improved and superior maize varieties have been developed for the major lowland production environments of West and Central Africa (WCA). Despite the superiority of these varieties, their impact has not been as high as desirable. A major reason for this is the unavailability of good quality seed of improved open-pollinated varieties (OPVs). Due to insufficient resources and inadequately trained personnel, the public sector seed companies of WCA have not demonstrated the ability to produce and distribute adequate quantities of high quality maize seed. As a result, most of these public sector seed companies have been closed down in several countries including Ghana, Cameroon and Cote D'Ivoire. One of the strategies of West and Central Africa Collaborative Maize Research Network (WECAMAN) for promoting the adoption of improved maize varieties is to stimulate the Network member countries to develop efficient on-farm level seed production schemes. The Network is presently funding community seed production schemes in Burkina Faso, Benin, Cameroon, Mali, Togo, Cote D'Ivoire and Ghana. The objective are to train farmers in techniques of maize seed production, strengthen the capacity of seed producers to produce good quality seed, and encourage NARS scientists to work with selected farmers and non-governmental organizations in the development of on-farm community level seed production schemes. The strategy of Network members has been to provide technical advice, credit in the form of seed and other inputs and training to the collaborating farmers. At harvest, the farmers payback either with seed or money from their seed sales. Through this arrangement, member countries have established revolving funds to ensure the sustainability of this scheme and also to reach increasing number of farmers each year. Several seed production models have been adopted in WECAMAN member countries for the community seed production scheme. Using these models, large quantities of seed of the released maize varieties are produced annually in the collaborating countries. Also many farmers have been trained in techniques of seed production.
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